


the lost art of the nemesis

by allp_wips



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-06-24 23:28:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19733848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allp_wips/pseuds/allp_wips
Summary: "In my day, you picked a nemesis and you were devoted to them. You cared about what they were doing. Now, everyone just tries to fight each other as if it were a melee."





	the lost art of the nemesis

**Author's Note:**

> based on a twitter post that seems to now be deleted :(

"I have told you a hundred times, you need to be drinking something hot," Astra reiterates, reheating the bowl of chicken noodle soup with her heat vision, before offering it to Alex again. "Your flu will not get better by itself."

"And I told you, I don't have to drink anything if I don't want to," Alex says, crossing her arms. "Why are you even here?"

"We've gone over this already." Astra says, sounding exasperated. "You are sick, but Kara is too busy at Catco with a deadline to look after you. Therefore, she has requested that I take care of you."

"I hate you," Alex says, groggily. "You hate me too, or haven't you forgotten?"

"Of course I haven't," Astra says. "It's not my fault that you fragile humans tend towards illness at the slightest change in the weather. Now, drink your soup."

"Don't wanna."

"Drink it," Astra says. "Or, I'll force it down your throat, you weak human."

Alex stabs her.

"Are you dead yet?" she asks hopefully. "I stabbed you. You're supposed to be dead."

"You poked ineffectually at the air with your plastic butter knife," Astra says.

Alex frowns. "That can't be right."

"It is," Astra says, and offers her the chicken noodle soup again. "I have researched this. If you don't drink hot fluids, you will delay the healing process."

"Why are you being nice to me?" Alex grumbles. "You can't be nice to me. You're my nememememe- memesi-"

"I believe you are trying to say nemesis," Astra replies. "I am, but what kind of nemesis would I be if I let you die? Who is to be my rival, then?"

That makes a lot of sense, so Alex nods, and finally takes a sip of the soup that Astra is offering.

"Man, you'd be lost without me," she comments. "Imagine, just letting your nemesis die."

Astra nods.

"The art of rivalry is really lost in these times," she laments. "In my day, you picked a nemesis and you were devoted to them. You cared about what they were doing. Now, everyone just tries to fight each other as if it were a melee."

"Fucking free-for-all," Alex agrees, taking another sip of the soup. "They should be more like us. We're the best archrivals. Look at us."

"Absolutely," Astra agrees. "Is there a week where we don't try to kill each other?"

Alex scoffs. "Of course not. We'd be slipping, then."

Astra sighs. "Truly, the art of the nemesis is lost on modern times."

"Remember that time when I stabbed you to show how much I cared about you?" Alex asks.

"How tenderly you nursed me back to health that night," Astra says, her eyes misty.

"Because I wanted you to live," Alex says, earnestly. "What kind of a nemesis would I be, if I let you die?"

"Indeed."

When Kara returns from Catco, she finds the two of them engrossed in a deep conversation about the nature of nemeses, and the ancient culture of it that needs to be preserved. Raising an eyebrow, she decides to leave them alone to their weird ways.

\---


End file.
